Man entered 'home in error.' No charges after break-in at Trudeau home

A 19-year-old intoxicated man who entered the wrong home while searching for a friend's house will not be charged with the break-and-enter at Justin Trudeau’s Ottawa home earlier this month, police confirmed Tuesday.

The police force said in a news conference that the man came forward on Friday a few hours after they released video in connection to the incident. The video contained grainy security images of a man wandering the upscale Ottawa neighbourhood of Rockcliffe Park, where Trudeau and his family live.

Police say after interrogating the man, they believe he was intoxicated and looking for his friend's home when he entered the wrong house through an unlocked door.

He soon realized he was in wrong house and considered leaving with kitchen knives and other items of value that he had found in the kitchen. The man changed his mind and instead dropped the knives on the counter and wrote a note of apology, police said.

It appears the man didn't realize whose home he had entered until he saw the video images of him in connection with the investigation of the Trudeau home break-in.

Police say they have interviewed the man and found no evidence the man had any criminal intent when he entered the home. Since the matter did not meet the threshold for criminal charges, the man was instead formally cautioned. Police now consider the matter closed.

Police did not name either the man or the homeowners, saying they do not name victims as a policy.

On Aug. 16, an intruder broke into Trudeau's home and left a note that warned the homeowners to lock their doors. Trudeau's wife, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, and children were sleeping in the home at the time. Trudeau was in Winnipeg.

The intruder also placed a pile of items that included knives from the kitchen next to the note.

The incident came at a time when the Rockcliffe neighbourhood has seen a rash of break-ins.

Trudeau's wife and children left the residence the day after the break-in to join Trudeau in Montreal. It's not clear if they have since returned.